Being a grandparent is a wonderful gift. And if you’re lucky, you can have all the fun without any of the responsibility. The very special relationship you have with your grandchildren is something they’ll never forget, so read on for 3 great ways to keep them occupied and create memories they’ll treasure forever.
Take Them On Holiday
What could be more exciting for you and your grandchildren than a holiday? They’ll never forget it, and you’ll score big brownies points with their parents too. Who would turn down a week’s break from the demands of parenthood? However, if you’re planning a holiday for your grandchildren, be sure to consider the following:
- Try and plan a holiday that has something for everyone. If grandpa loves fishing and the little ones want Disneyland, then try and find a compromise. For example, a holiday village with special adventure facilities for children along with tranquil lakes for fishing would tick all your boxes.
- Get Organised. Write a long list of everything you’ll need, not forgetting items to keep the children entertained while travelling!
- Remember this is everyone’s holiday, so don’t get too frazzled and wear yourself out. Plan a daily schedule that combines restful activities with more demanding ones.
Get Crafty
This being England, you should always be prepared for entertaining the grandchildren on rainy days, so keep a cupboard of craft materials for making sessions. Store items such as boxes, loo rolls, odd buttons, ribbon, glitter, glue and paints, along with a list of craft activities for inspiration.
To get you started, here’s a few ideas:
Make sock puppets and put on a sock puppet play
Decorate T shirts with fabric paints
Build a cardboard robot outfit. If you’re lucky, you might be able to take ‘remote control’ of the robot child!
Alternatively, baking is always a great activity for grandchildren, so also keep a stock of cake decorations for your creations. Don’t forget aprons and a large plastic tablecloth to prevent splatter damage!
Nature Trail
Children love being outside, but a walk with nothing else to do can be boring. http://www.askgranny.com/ suggest that nature trail’s are the ideal way to get them walking without complaining, so why not try some of these ideas for a stimulating nature walk?
- Buy them an i-spy nature trail book for ticking off what they see on a walk or print one off from the internet.
- Take crayons and paper for taking bark or stone rubbings.
- Collect leaves for making a collage, or small sprigs of flowers for pressing.
- Give the children a matchbox with a list of natural objects they must find and place in the box.
- Make a journey stick. Give each child a stick and some wool, and get them to tie natural objects they find to their stick as they go.
- Print out leaf cards and see if the children can find each tree the leaves belong to.
Wendy Lin is a mother and successful entrepreneur. She is passionate about activism for women’s rights in the workplace, but said she would never trade her time with her family for overtime at work.